Destiny
by hughville
Summary: No one can change their destiny, not even Regina.


**I don't own OUaT, the wonderful characters, or the dialogue I "borrowed" from _The Stable Boy_.**

* * *

The room was silent. King Leopold, down on one knee holding a ring, looked up at Regina waiting for her reply. Everything in her screamed no but the word couldn't push past the lump of dread in her throat. Regina didn't want to marry him. She wanted Daniel. All she'd ever wanted since she met him in the stables was Daniel.

"Yes, Yes."

Regina turned to her mother in confusion. Cora smiled benignly at the King and then turned to her daughter. Cora's look of smug satisfaction made Regina's stomach clench with fear. Her mother just accepted the King's proposal rather than letting Regina answer. Regina felt the King embrace her and looked over his shoulder at her father, Henry. Henry shook his head in defeat and turned away. The next moments took on a nightmarish quality. Cora spoke to Leopold but Regina couldn't process what they said. She wanted to run but she knew her mother would stop her. For now, she must wait.

* * *

Hours later, Regina draped her cloak around her and picked up a small bag filled with a few clothes and some childhood treasures. Slowly, she opened her bedroom door and looked out. The house was silent and the hallway was empty. Regina slipped out and ran silently out of the house. When she reached the stable, she saw the light and Daniel. He looked up and smiled. Regina rushed toward him and flung her arms around him, dropping her bag behind him.

"Let's leave," she said against his neck.

"What about your mother?" he asked, smoothing her long black hair.

"We'll go somewhere she can't find us."

"Do you understand what you'll be giving up?" he asked as he pulled back and looked down into her eyes.

"I'm don't care about anything or anyone but you."

Daniel nodded and went to saddle a horse. Within minutes, they were riding away from the only home Regina had ever known and she had never been happier.

The next evening they stopped at an old church in a quiet village and were married. David slid a simple gold band on her finger and Regina felt as if she would burst from happiness. She was now his wife and there was nothing her mother could do to either of them. As they left the church, Regina leaned against Daniel's strong back and closed her eyes. For a moment, she could see her father's face and she felt a momentary twinge of regret. Regina knew she could never see her beloved father again. She tightened her arms around Daniel's waist and forced herself to focus on her future rather than her past.

* * *

Daniel and Regina settled in a small cottage deep in the forest. Daniel cleared a small plot of land and planted some vegetables. When they needed something, Daniel went to the village at the edge of the forest. Regina never went with him for fear of being recognized.

Over the next several months, they settled into a comfortable routine. Regina cleaned, cooked, did the laundry and tended to the garden. Daniel found work as a stable hand in the village. Soon, her old life seemed like a dream. Regina missed her father but she was happier than she ever thought possible.

One evening, nearly a year after fleeing her parent's home, Regina stood at the turn in the path that led to the village. Normally, she waited for Daniel in their cottage but today she had something important to tell him and couldn't wait. She pressed her hands against her stomach and waited. Soon she heard footsteps and a moment later Daniel came walking toward her. His fists were clenched and anger marred his face. Regina waited until he reached her and then put her arms around him.

"What's wrong, my love?" she asked.

"Let's go home and then I'll tell you."

Daniel tried to smile and leaned down to kiss her. Regina allowed him to take her hand and lead her home. Once they were home, he led her to her rocking chair by the fire and gently pushed her down in it. Kneeling before her, he took her hands.

"You're scaring me, Daniel."

"It's about your parents," he began. He swallowed and looked away. Regina felt fear trace an icy finger down her spine.

"My mother found out where we live, didn't she?" Regina asked in a shaky voice.

Daniel shook his head. "Your mother married King Leopold."

"But, my father-" she began in a shaky voice.

"I'm sorry, beloved, but he died. Apparently, your father was with the King's daughter in the stables when a fire broke out. Henry and Snow White died."

Suddenly, Regina felt light headed and cold. Daniel wrapped his cloak around her and pulled her into his arms. He held her as she shook and sobbed uncontrollably. Her beloved father was dead. Finally, she quieted and clung to Daniel.

"I know my mother killed them both," she sniffled. "My wonderful father and that sweet child. She killed them both."

Daniel stroked her hair and pressed kisses against her temple. "I'm so sorry."

Wiping her eyes, Regina looked up at him. "I'm pregnant," she blurted out. She pushed down her grief and focused on her husband.

Daniel looked at her with a mixture of wonder and sadness. "I don't know what to say."

Regina traced the line of his jaw as she looked into his beautiful eyes. "If we have a boy, I want to name him Henry, after my father. If we have a girl, I want to name her Emma, after your mother."

Daniel kissed her. "Whatever you want," he told her.

* * *

As the days passed, Regina tried to resume her life. Each day it grew more difficult. She wanted revenge against Cora. She had no idea how she would get it but she wanted it more than anything else. Regina tried to focus on the child growing inside her, but all she could think of was her father. Her desire for revenge began to consume her and change her. Regina became moody and a cruel streak emerged.

Not long after their marriage, Regina discovered that she possessed the same magic as her mother. She never used it until now. Now she used it to kill the squirrels that tried to eat the vegetables in the garden. She didn't tell Daniel but she knew he suspected something by the way he looked at her.

Each evening as they sat by the fire, Regina silently plotted ways to destroy her mother. Often, she would catch Daniel looking at her with concern in his eyes and Regina would smile sweetly and go back to her plotting.

One warm afternoon near the end of her pregnancy, Regina sat outside listening to the birds twittering in the trees. Closing her eyes, she silenced the birds. A small satisfied smile curved her lips.

"Well, dearie, it seems you got what you wanted, didn't you?"

Regina opened her eyes and saw a strange man sitting on a stump across from her. At least, she thought he was a man. His skin was a strange shade of gold and his eyes were also gold. He was dressed in the clothes of a gentleman but his hands were gnarled and he had long, sharp nails. He laughed a shrill, piercing laugh that made her wince.

"Who are you?" she asked.

He waved a hand, dismissing her question. "This is what you wanted, wasn't it?"

She frowned at him.

He rose from the stump and straightened his cuffs. "To live in squalor with your one true love?" he sneered.

Regina felt anger rise in her like lava in a volcano. "I'm happy here. I love Daniel."

Again the man laughed his strange laugh. "Do you, dearie? Do you?" He approached her and leaned down until he was nose to nose with her. "I know what you've been thinking," he said in a sing-song voice.

Regina narrowed her eyes.

"You want revenge against your mother," he hissed before straightening up and walking around her. "Well, today is your lucky day."

Regina rose slowly and turned to face him. "What do you mean?"

He stopped in front of her again. "You know, dearie, you can't go about changing your destiny. Bad things happen when you do."

"This is my destiny."

He cackled and then gripped her arms. "This is not your destiny. You've ruined things for me and you're going to do as I say and put everything to rights."

Regina pulled away from him. In a blink, she was encased in a pillar of pulsating light. She tried to move but couldn't; all she could do was watch the man.

He pulled a small vial out of his coat pocket. "I'm going to release you and you're going to drink this potion. If you don't, something very bad will happen to your beloved Daniel and that little creature growing inside you. You want revenge against your mother and I can make certain you get it."

He waved his hand and the light vanished. He held out the vial.

"If I drink this, I can avenge my father's death?" she asked.

The man smiled, revealing crooked rotting teeth. "Of course. Do we have a deal?"

Regina reached out and took the vial. Pulling out the stopper, she looked at the man. "If I drink this, will my father be alive again?"

"Oh, absolutely, dearie."

Regina swiftly drank the contents of the vial. Immediately, intense pain gripped her and she dropped the empty vial.

"Have a safe trip, dearie," the man cackled.

Everything began to swirl around her and the pain increased, then blackness swallowed her. When she opened her eyes, she was in the stable at her childhood home. Daniel held her in his arms.

"You could have at least left a note," her mother commented from behind them. With a wave of her hand, Cora sent Regina and Daniel flying backwards and the doors to the stable slammed shut.

Regina tried to reason with her mother but nothing she said made any difference. As casually as if she were reaching for an apple, Cora tore Daniel's heart from him and crushed it to dust. Regina knelt beside his lifeless body and lifted him into her arms.

"Why, Mother?"

"Because marrying the King is your destiny, my dear. And you'll make a fine mother for that dear little Snow. She's such a chatty little thing. She told me all about you and Daniel."

Regina released Daniel and looked up at her mother. "My destiny?" In her mind, she could hear the man's voice in her head prattling on about destiny. He'd tricked her. Any goodness in Regina drained away leaving only burning rage and desire for revenge so intense it caused her to shake.

Cora flicked some hay from the sleeve of her gown. "Of course. Thanks to Snow White, you can fulfill your destiny and become a Queen."

Regina rose slowly. The memory of her life with Daniel and the meeting with the odd man faded from her mind. Other memories flooded to replace them: Daniel and she being caught by Snow White; Regina asking Snow to keep it a secret. Releasing her breath slowly, she looked down at Daniel's lifeless body. Someone would pay for this and Regina knew exactly who that someone was; Snow White.


End file.
